About Thierry Thorens

“Cooking should be second-nature”

A third-generation chef, Thierry Thorens is the “Savoyard who believes in doing things properly”. Hi slove of cooking stems as much from the top kitchens where he learned his trade (including Paul Bocuse) as his mother, who passed on recipes and secrets from mountain communities. Given this long history, it made perfect sense for Thierry – along with his wife Valerie – to open La Chamade in Morzine, where is cooking reflects the region’s values, while remaining inventive and current.

A respect for ingredients and tradition

« With globalisation bringing every possible ingredient within our grasp at a moment’s notice, I still prefer to follow the rhythm of the seasons. In the old days people made time to work the soil, sow their crops and bring in the harvest. Afterwards, they’d head up the mountain to spend the summer, making their cheese, gathering mushrooms and preparing the pig slaughter. Following their lead, I believe cooking needs to have a relationship with time; if not, it risks becoming dull and artificial”

From the kitchen to the writing desk…via the art studio !

When Thierry’s not cooking, he’s often to be found sculpting, writing or looking for flowers and herbs on mountain pathways in Morzine and the Chablais. Ever a champion of flavour some food, Thierry gives pride of place to fine local produce, which he marries with spices in his inventive recipes. After dedicating volumes to vegetables, rice, fruit, spices and flowers, Thierry’s literary career continues with his latest work on cooking with poultry and eggs, published by Actes Sud. It features more than 300 original recipes, with tips and advice from Thorens’ Chablais blackground.